


Roses

by CloakedSparrow



Series: Collected Bat-Family Stories [49]
Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman (Comics), Batman and the Outsiders (Comics), Batman: Gotham Knights (Comics 2000), Detective Comics (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Adopted Children, Batfamily (DCU), Cassandra Cain is Black Bat, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Moving, No Romance, No Sex, No Smut, One Shot, Roses, TFFW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:42:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28996917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloakedSparrow/pseuds/CloakedSparrow
Summary: This story read well on its own, but it references a few other stories from this series:'Dex-Starr Finds a New Home'(Wherein Dex becomes Tim's cat & gets his catio).'Last Laugh, First Steps'(Wherein the Joker kidnaps Tim, Jason and Bruce have the fight mentioned here, and its first suggested that Cassandra should move back to Blüdhaven).'Home Hunting'(Wherein Dick helps Cassandra find her apartment in Blüdhaven).Cassandra breaking into Tim's apartment to take super long showers and eat all his Rice Krispies is fromRobin#134.Cassandra got the rose mentioned here inBatgirl#17 and kept it until she left it in Brenda's care inBatgirl#66.The destruction of Blüdhaven mentioned here takes place duringInfinite Crisis.
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Alfred Pennyworth, Cassandra Cain & Bruce Wayne, Cassandra Cain & Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake, No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: Collected Bat-Family Stories [49]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/734523
Comments: 36
Kudos: 131





	Roses

**Author's Note:**

> This story read well on its own, but it references a few other stories from this series:  
> ['Dex-Starr Finds a New Home'](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11307210) (Wherein Dex becomes Tim's cat & gets his catio).  
> ['Last Laugh, First Steps'](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15281652) (Wherein the Joker kidnaps Tim, Jason and Bruce have the fight mentioned here, and its first suggested that Cassandra should move back to Blüdhaven).  
> ['Home Hunting'](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15459267) (Wherein Dick helps Cassandra find her apartment in Blüdhaven).
> 
> Cassandra breaking into Tim's apartment to take super long showers and eat all his Rice Krispies is from _Robin_ #134.  
> Cassandra got the rose mentioned here in _Batgirl_ #17 and kept it until she left it in Brenda's care in _Batgirl_ #66.  
> The destruction of Blüdhaven mentioned here takes place during _Infinite Crisis_.

Cassandra had a small problem. Well, not so much a problem as a minor…inconvenience.

After Dick helped her select her new apartment in Blüdhaven, she’d quickly noticed where this move was going to be significantly different from any previous one. She’d moved around so much before that she hadn’t acquired any furniture or the like. Her father or Tim usually made living arrangements for her if she was staying anywhere for long enough to need them and that always included furnishings and food. Otherwise, she stayed with a friend, in a motel, or just squatted somewhere for a night or two. In any case, she hadn’t needed to worry about furnishings or décor. Now that she’d found her own place -where she intended to stay for a _very_ long time- she wanted to make it feel like her the way her brothers’ apartments felt like them. 

She mentioned that to Alfred when she called to thank him for the grocery delivery he’d arranged so she had food waiting for her when she moved in. He thought making the place her own was a fine idea and suggesting speaking to her father for help in where to begin. She’d followed the wise man’s advice. 

Her father agreed that it was her home now and that it should feel like it. Naturally, he had several options for her furniture problem already. “I can have furniture sent over, if you don’t want to deal with picking everything out now. I’d be happy to have anything from your last place in Hong Kong -or any other family-owned buildings you’ve stayed in- shipped over, if there’s something you liked. And remember, you have a bank card and an account. That’s your money, Cassandra, you can buy anything you want for your new place.” 

Cassandra hadn’t truly considered that last one. She wasn’t accustomed to spending a lot of money. She bought her own clothes and often bought food, but large expenses like furniture, utilities, travel, and gear for her nightlife, were usually handled by her father, grandfather, one of her brothers, or Barbara. She realized she should start handling more of that herself. She knew she’d have plenty of help if she made a misstep somewhere, and that most young women her age were probably in a similar position of figuring out how to manage their own expenses. If they could manage it without the impressive safety net she had, then she certainly could. 

She was looking forward to trying and learning. She was looking forward to starting this new chapter in her life. In some ways, she was growing more independent while in others, she was letting herself be taken care of more by her family. She was taking care of them in other ways, too. She liked those changes. 

Her thoughts were somewhat derailed when her father informed her that bought the building after she moved in. He pointed out that it meant she could feel free to change anything she liked; paint; cabinets; flooring; non-supporting walls; windows; sinks, shower, or bathtub. He’d also made sure she had exclusive access to the roof. 

“I don’t want you to think its a control thing.” Bruce made sure to point out. “Well, it _is_ , but it isn’t about controlling _you_. Its about giving you the freedom to control your space. If ever there’s a problem -someone in the building that makes you uncomfortable or something about the place that doesn’t fit your needs- tell me. We’ll find a way to fix it together.”

Cassandra understood. Dick had told her that their father tended to do things like buy the building they lived in. He’d already told her that it was his way of trying to take care of them. That he just wanted them to be safe and comfortable in their own homes. Buying the building was his way of accomplishing that. She didn’t know any differently either, so she was fine with it. 

More than fine. She was happy her father wanted her to feel at home that much. She was happy she had a father who wanted to take care of her while also giving her some space. She smiled. “I get it. Thanks, Dad.” 

“Of course.” Bruce sounded relived that he didn’t have to explain his motives any further. That his daughter understood him. He always sounded happy when she, Dick, or Jason called him ‘Dad’. “I’m glad you’re settling in somewhere. You deserve that.” 

A clear smiled entered his voice. “And I’ll admit, I’m happy that you’ll be close to home.”

Cassandra liked that he still referred to the Manor as her (and each of her brothers) home. Even though she fully intended to make her new apartment -and Blüdhaven itself- her home now, she liked knowing her father, grandfather, and youngest brother were always happy to have her back. She liked knowing that her other brothers were each still prepared for her to stay with them whenever she pleased. “I am, too.” 

She already had plans to meet Dick for lunch at Brenda’s cafe, even though she’d just seen him the night before. She loved being able to see her big brother so readily. She liked that her father, grandfather, other brothers, and friends were close enough that she could go see them at any time. She’d always wanted to be part of a family, and these days, she always felt that she was. 

She realized she even had something her father could help her with beyond funding her apartment furnishings and décor. “Dad, the building is great…but its not as wheelchair accessible as Dick’s or Tim’s. Can we fix that for when Barbara comes over?”

“Absolutely.” She could hear her father thinking of the problem even as he smiled at one of his children asking for help so readily. “I can get a crew over there to start inspections for the project today. Anything specific you want or should I just have it upgraded to meet the Wayne building standards for accessibility?” 

“Your usual standards will be perfect.” Cassandra smiled. 

Her father and little brother had already gone over the Wayne building standards to ensure that someone in Barbara’s position could access every building easily and independently. Barbara loved it. She valued her independence. By Bruce updating her building to match the others, Barbara wouldn’t even have to know that it was about her specifically. It was a small difference, but it would mean a lot to her not to feel singled out. 

At the same time, the changes would mean she could stop by to see Cassandra whenever she felt like it. That was what Cassandra wanted. Barbara was special to her. She always wanted the woman to feel welcome at her place, the way Barbara had always made her feel welcome. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Cassandra. Always.” Her father sounded genuinely pleased. He also sounded proud in a different way than he did when she reported taking care of difficult criminals. 

To her surprise, he commented on the latter. He was getting better about such things. “I’m proud of you for making this move. I know its a big change for you, but I think its going to be good for everyone. If there’s anything else I can do to make it easier or make you more comfortable, let me know.”

“I will, Dad.” Cassandra had no problem making the promise. Things like designing wheelchair ramps and handicap accessible doors weren’t really part of her purview anyway. She also knew how difficult it was for her father to hold himself back and not just jump in to take care of things. She appreciated that he was leaving the final decisions to her and making sure she was comfortable with his brand of helping first. 

She told Dick about needing to buy furniture when they met for lunch and her big brother had taken her furniture shopping right afterwards. He’d helped her figure out what she needed and what she simply might like having. She’d slowly found items that she not only liked, but that would look good together in her studio apartment. She even found a few decorative pieces to make the place feel more like her. 

Dick, Brenda, Harper, Cullen, and Stephanie came over that night to help her move things into place. Her father, Damian, and Alfred came from Gotham to help her get settled in the next day as well. Alfred made some recommendations for her kitchen and continued to have groceries delivered to her place, as he did with Dick. Cassandra liked the convenience, and the obvious care her grandfather felt for her. Jason came separately from their father to help her out, as they’d recently had a fight and he said he couldn’t talk to him yet without it leading to a fight. He didn’t want to have that fight in her new place. 

Cassandra appreciated the consideration as much as the help. She was mainly just happy Jason had come over.

Barbara, Helena, and Dinah came to see her new place that same week and offer any help she might need. They each remarked that they liked the apartment and that it felt like her. Connor even came all the way from Star City to congratulate her on her new place. Duke told her the place looked cool and offered to come over and help anytime she needed it when she gave him a tour of her place over video chat. 

Tim had been recovering from a very bad run-in with the Joker at the time Cassandra moved, so he hadn’t been able to come over until all the furniture was in place and she’d been comfortably living there for over a month. He arrived with a basket of shower & bath items (since he knew how much she liked bathing), as well as several large boxes of Rice Krispies, and a live rosebush. 

“You’re still welcome to come over to use all my hot water and eat all my Rice Krispies, of course.” He’d remarked with a very small smile after he handed over the housewarming gifts.

Cassandra laughed lightly. Both at the memory of all the times she’d sneaked into her little brother’s apartment to do just that, and at the fact that it was the first smile she’d seen from him since the Joker. She smiled at him as she put away their shared favorite cereal. “I intend to. But I’m still going to enjoy these here.”

That lead to the minor inconvenience. Since her little brother was good at problem solving, and had inadvertently just added to her not-really-but-sort-of-a-problem, Cassandra decided she’d see if he had any suggestions. 

She picked up the tastefully potted rosebush. The plant had white and red variegated blooms. They almost looked as if paint or fresh blood had been spilled on white roses. She thought they were pretty. “Here, follow me.”

Tim followed her onto her balcony. He immediately saw her dilemma. “Oh. Sorry. I guess that wasn’t the best home warming present.”

“They’re perfect. I love them.” Cassandra remarked as she sat the pot down near the other four pots of roses she’d received. Alfred had given her a bush of his award-winning blue roses. Barbara and Brenda had each gotten her a red rosebush since they remembered she’d kept a red rose until Chemo destroyed it along with most of Blüdhaven. The last was a bush of black velvety roses Connor had given her simply because he heard plants made good housewarming presents and said they’d reminded him of her. 

“I love all of them. I just…don’t know where to put them.” Her balcony had a solid partial wall along the front, which was nice for privacy and safety but not for allowing the young rosebushes to get much sunlight. At present, the plants were taking up the entirely of her patio table in order to get them high enough for the light to reach them. 

She’d considered the roof, but then realized she would have to remember to carry enough water up there for them everyday. Her father could probably take care of that, but her balcony had a water line built into it already. Plus, she’d liked seeing the initial rosebush through the glass after Alfred gave it to her. “I’d like to keep them out here somehow.” She looked at her little brother.

Tim nodded to show he understood the problem and looked over her balcony. He pointed to one of the side walls. Cassandra didn’t have anything there yet, mainly because she wasn’t sure what she was going to do with the balcony and because the faucet was on that wall. “That wall should get enough sunlight for them, provided they’re raised a couple feet off the ground at least. What if we make you a raised bed that will keep them in position? And you could either get one of those garden sinks you hook a hose into or an irrigation system like I have on my balcony?”

Cassandra smirked. “You mean the one you didn’t give your cat?” 

When he’d told her he built a catio for his single pet, she’d assumed her little brother meant he’d enclosed the balcony off his bedroom and added a few cat things. Instead he’d allowed himself a single chair to sit in there with his cat if he wanted. Everything else had been removed and the whole thing had been remodeled for cat-purposes only. Even the chair had clearly been selected because it was optimally sized for the large cat rather than his petite owner.

“Dex needs the space.” Tim replied easily. He wasn’t the least bit defensive or embarrassed at remodeling his balcony completely for his cat. “I don’t want him getting restless or bored.”

“Yeah. He deserves it. He’s a good cat.” Cassandra meant it. Dex made her little brother happy and helped him feel comfortable. She would fight to the death for that cat. 

She also liked her little brother’s idea of the raised bed. Their father had already talked to her (after the inspection he’d arranged) about how much weight the balcony could hold and where all the weight bearing supports were. She passed along all those statistics to Tim and was sure he’d come up with something perfect. Sure enough, after they’d sat down at her breakfast bar for a little while (she made them a pot of tea and helped herself to a bowl of Rice Krispies), he passed her a sketch on his tablet. It looked awesome. 

“What do you think about this? We could paint the outside to match either the balcony walls or your bronze wall over there...” Tim indicated a wall that Cassandra had decided to paint with some leftover she had after working on her Bat-bike. She liked the way it caught the light during the day and it looked cool reflected against the mirrors she had on the opposite wall for when she was dancing. 

Tim apparently agreed, as he added a comment before getting back to the subject of her roses. “Which looks really cool, by the way.”

“Thanks.” She smiled after swallowing a mouthful of cereal. “I like it.” She looked at the flowerbed design. “I think that would look good the same color. Painting it wouldn’t affect the flowers?”

“Nope.” Tim shook his head, then looked back over the designs. “And it would take very little effort for you to maintain. You could also easily overwinter them in place there. We can get the stuff you’d need for that when we get the building and planting materials.”

He looked at his big sister questioningly. “What do you think?”

“Its perfect.” Cassandra smiled at her little brother. “I definitely want to get all the overwinter stuff, too.” She looked at the design and noticed her brother had added an option for lights. “Should I get some grow lights?” 

“They’d reduce the amount of time the roses stay dormant. If you want to have them blooming throughout the Fall, it’d probably be the best way to go. Of course, we could also make a little clear greenhouse attachment so you keep them going all Winter, if you want.” Tim gave her the information and then waited patiently so she could decide for herself. That was something she always liked about asking her little brother for help. Even if he knew the optimal way of doing something, if it was her thing, he left the decision for her. 

She did like the idea of keeping the roses alive all year. She and each of her brothers loved going inside their grandfather’s greenhouse in the Winter. Cassandra had eaten lunch with her father, grandfather, or little brother in there several times before. It was a nice reprieve from the harsh New England Winter. “Like Alfred’s greenhouse, only smaller?”

“Mm-hm.” Tim nodded. “Here.” Her took the tablet and drew out a couple different designs for what he was suggesting. “You’d be able to keep optimal rose growing conditions in these year-round. We could get thermostat controls and timers for everything so you wouldn’t have to open it much after the initial set-up.”

Both designs were practical and would work with the shape of her balcony and building. Both were classy and discreet, and would allow the beautiful roses to take center stage. One was a more classic design, while the other had obvious sci-fi influences. While not mimicking any specific shapes or designs, it looked like something Cassandra would expect to see if a future Star Wars game or book showed that Luke kept a small flowerbed at his Jedi temple. She turned the tablet back to Tim with that one on the screen and grinned. “This one.”

Tim looked pleased that she’d liked the design. “The hardware store Dick usually goes to should have everything we need. Want to go today?”

“Definitely.” Cassandra grabbed her phone (the case also stored her ID, library card, and bank card so she didn’t have to carry much) and led her little brother out of her apartment. 

They caught a cab and went to the store their big brother always recommended. It was a local hardware store with a good variety of materials in stock and a nice garden section. Cassandra was able to purchase everything she needed. Tim even gave them measurements so everything was cut to size in the store. Rather than rent a truck for the day, Cassandra arranged to have it all delivered to her building later that afternoon. 

The owner thanked her for her patronage, and also commented that he and his family were very grateful for everything her family had done for Blüdhaven. He told her his crew would be happy to set up her flowerbed -free of charge- if she liked. 

Cassandra liked the idea of letting them. She didn’t want Tim to do too much work after he’d just recovered from a serious injury to his kidney and some broken bones. She knew her little brother wasn’t one to sit out on helping. Besides, she wanted to see how it was hiring out for such a thing rather than asking her friends and brothers over whenever she wanted something done. She knew her friends and family didn’t mind, and she was grateful for that. Still, she thought it might be nice to hire a local crew for simpler jobs that weren’t potentially secret revealing.

However, she wasn’t sure about accepting the extra work for free. It wasn’t as though she couldn’t afford to pay for it. But she also understood if it was the owner’s way of contributing when her family had done so much to help rebuild Blüdhaven. Just as her family helped where they could, maybe this other family wanted to do the same. 

She took her little brother out for lunch once they were finished at the hardware store. He looked like he’d lost some weight during his recent recovery and she was always hungry anyway. Over lunch, she decided to ask him what he thought about the offer, leaving out her concerns about him.

Tim thought for a brief moment and made sure to swallow before answering. He always had better table manners than his big sister. Fortunately, neither of them minded. “If you want to let them do it, then go for it. If the owner won’t accept pay, or you’re worried it would insult him to insist, then you could give the employees a generous tip as they leave. That way it won’t become a big deal but they’ll still get compensation for their time. 

“And you could ask Dick to post a photo of the finished product on his Pictogram. That’ll give the shop some good publicity out of it. I’m sure others will want something similar…maybe they just don’t know what they can do? It could mean more business for the store.” Tim gave a small, elegant shrug. “Who knows, maybe you’ll start a trend and Blüdhaven will end up with flowerbeds and mini vegetable gardens over all it’s balconies?”

Cassandra considered how much she’d enjoyed tending to her rose before, and how much she was looking forward to her new mini rose-garden. She thought it would be nice if others could have something similar. She liked the idea of helping them see they had the option, in any case. 

“I’ll do that.” She smiled at her little brother. “Good idea.”

They got back to her apartment with enough time for Tim to show her how to discreetly tip someone before the delivery and set-up team arrived. 

The bed turned out perfect. One of the guys the owner had sent over to put it together for her was his son. 

“Hey, would you mind giving the name of the designer you hired for this?” He indicated the bed they’d just finished putting together. “I’d like to contact them about selling these as kits or something in the shop. We could build a demonstration or two in the garden center so people could see them. I think a lot of people might like them.”

Cassandra grinned and pointed to Tim. “My brother designed it for me. With a couple variants. This is the one I liked best.”

The man looked a little surprised but then laughed quietly. “I guess that shouldn’t be surprising.” He turned to Tim. “Would you be interested? We’d give you a commission for each sale and give you full credit for the design.”

Tim waved off the offer and glanced at Cassandra. “I just wanted my sister to have her roses set up. You can make the demos and sell them, but the commission won’t be necessary. Thanks anyway.” He looked at the man questioningly and took out his phone. “Do you have an email I can send the designs to?”

The man gave Tim his email address and shook his hand. Cassandra tipped him when he shook hers afterwards and then the other gentleman that had set it up with him. They both looked very pleased as they wished her a good day on their way out. 

Tim helped her paint the rose-bed and plant her rose bushes before heading home for the night. 

“The apartment is great, Cass.” He commented as he looked around on the way to the door. “It looks like you.” He wore another one of those small smiles. “I’m glad you decided to stay here…and not just because it gives Alfie some peace of mind.”

“Thanks, Tim.” Cassandra smiled and hugged her little brother. “I’m glad I’m staying here, too. And not just for Alfred, either.”

She looked at him firmly once she released him. “Text when you get home.”

“I will.” He agreed readily. His tone was asking rather than demanding when he made a similar request. “Be careful tonight.”

“I will.” Cassandra walked him to the new elevator their father had installed. “You, too.”

Tim nodded and gave her a little wave before the elevator doors closed. 

Later, he texted her when he got home, as promised. She was careful, as always, when she patrolled Blüdhaven that night. 

The next morning she sent Tim a photo of her rose-bed with a heart and a kissy face emoji. 

Dick came over that afternoon. He smiled when he saw the flowerbed. “That’s awesome, Cass. I’m glad you found somewhere for your roses.”

He took a photo of her by her new rose-bed and posted it to Pictogram, making sure to credit both their little brother and the team at the hardware shop. He also mentioned that they’d soon be selling kits for people to build their own. Cassandra printed out a copy of the photo and put it in a thank you card she send the store owner. 

Later, the image was used on the sign (with her permission) by the three different display models they put up in the store. The sign mentioned the price ranges, size options, and the greenhouse or bed-only option. It also credited Tim Wayne for the design and Cassandra Cain-Wayne for the inspiration. 

Soon afterwards, Dick, Brenda, and Harper started showing Cassandra photos other people were posting of their beds after purchasing. Some had roses or other flowers. Some had herb or tea gardens. Several had salsa gardens. Others were growing vegetables or fruits. In any case, a lot of people were clearly enjoying them. 

It made Cassandra happy to know she’d helped so many people find something they enjoyed. 

It also made her wonder if there were other small ways she could help. She’d mostly existed as Black Bat or Batgirl before. The idea of helping as Cassandra Cain-Wayne was new to her. She’d seen all the ways her father and brothers helped their cities but it never occurred to her that she could do the same. She couldn’t run a business or department of one like they could. She wasn’t nearly as good with schmoozing or making connections. 

But the rose-bed showed her she could help in other ways. She could offer inspiration. She could support her brothers publicly. She could find little ways of making a difference in a few people’s lives. 

Well, other than beating up criminals at night. That, she could definitely still do. And it was enough, but this could be good, too. 

Cassandra smiled as she received a text from Alfred, responding to a photo of her roses she’d sent him.

‘ _Well done, Miss Cassandra. They’re as lovely as you are. I am so very glad you are settling into your new home._ ’

It was followed by a quick reminder to eat well and get plenty of sleep. 

She laughed as she sent back a string of emoji she knew he would understand to mean that she would, that she was happy, and that she loved him. 

That love had been what spurred her to make the move to begin with, but she was finding more and more reasons to be happy about it the longer she was there. She sat her phone on her (finally freed up) patio table and looked at her roses as she ate on her balcony. 

Cassandra was growing more pleased with her decision to move to Blüdhaven everyday. 

She was happy to be home.


End file.
